Simon Coveny, the Fine Gael Minister responsible for Water Charges in Ireland, endured a torrid time in the Dáil (Irish Parliament) on 6 April as Socialist Party member and Dublin South West TD (MP) Paul Murphy exposed his party's attempts to smuggle the iniquitous water charges in through the back door.

Defend the right to protest: "We are more akin to a banana republic, and the rotten nature of the Irish state has been exposed." These were the words of TD (MP) and Socialist Party member Ruth Coppinger in the Irish Parliament on 15 February as she rose to question Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny.

Irish state criminalises right to protest: Anti-water charges demonstrators were arrested following a peaceful sit-down protest against water charges against Irish Labour deputy premier Joan Burton. They are now facing ludicrous charges of "false imprisonment".

Videos of Socialist Party - Ireland members (in the CWI) and Anti Austerity Alliance TDs (Irish MPs), Paul Murphy and Ruth Coppinger, speaking out against the Blairite coup to remove Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in Britain, and on the impact of Brexit

Enda Kenny, Fine Gael's acting Taoiseach (prime minister), has been forced into a humiliating climbdown over the imposition of unfair water charges. The suspension of the hated levy is a victory for anti-water charge campaigners, particularly the Socialist Party (CWI Ireland) and its strategy of building a mass non-payment campaign.

"Real change, not spare change" Three members of the Socialist Party have been elected to the Irish Parliament as part of the Anti-Austerity Alliance. Ruth Coppinger, who was re-elected in Dublin West, spoke to the Socialist on 29 February.